Take linebacker James Harrison. He felt old pain in his back from two surgeries in the offseason and new pain in his right knee from what appeared to be a relatively minor injury late in the game. But it was nothing compared with the pain he felt during the long walk out of M&T Bank Stadium to the team bus and on the ride to the airport through jeering Ravens fans who had waited a long time for their team to put such a butt-kicking on the hated Steelers.

"A terrible loss," Harrison called it. "To get beat like a dog ... "

It seems the Ravens enjoyed it every bit as much as their fans. For more than eight months, they had heard how coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Joe Flacco couldn't beat the Ben Roethlisberger-led Steelers. They had been reminded countless times how they had lost to the Steelers in the playoffs after the 2010 and '08 seasons.